Social media is a great platform for spreading the plight of those less fortunate than us, and some great charities out there that are trying to make the world a better place.
I recently fell upon a charity on Facebook called ‘Smalls ForAll’. It sparked a great interest in me, so I decided to look into it further.
I was amazed to read how things that I take for granted such as underwear was an unaffordable item for others in Africa.
Underwear in certain parts of Africa is seen as a luxury. A sign of wealth and perhaps that the women or child has a male figure in their lives. Those without, are more at risk of being attacked and even raped.
Reading about this broke my heart. There are many young girls who cannot go to school during their period as they don’t have any underwear or sanitary items. Imagine how they must feel during this particular time. The humiliation and embarrassment they must feel. This in turn impacts on their education, not forgetting hygiene and health problems.
Thankfully in 2010, a lady called Maria Macnamara has set up an amazing charity that helps these vulnerable women and children.
The idea is really simple. We send the charity our old, unwanted bras. Those that are in good enough condition are sent to orphanages or IDP camps and given to women and girls that can’t afford them. The bras that are not able to be reused are recycled. The money they get from this is then used to buy pants for them.
I think this is an amazing idea, and I wish I had known about it many years ago.
Charities do not take used underwear, so it is likely to be sent to landfill sites. The fact that we can now send them somewhere to be recycled to do such good, is fantastic. Even those bras that have lost their wires in the wash, or been mixed in with the darks, all have a purpose.
I was so inspired by this, I set about going through my own bra drawer at home. See how I got on in my Youtube video:
Why don’t you have a look through your own cupboards and drawers? Even 1 bra will make a difference. To date, the charity has received over 1m pieces of underwear and distributed almost 1m out.
They are now also sponsoring some children in education.
This is truly a charity worth our support.
If you are interested to know more checkout their website:
Slimminginspirations4u 